Thursday, January 26, 2012

GA Schizophrenic on Labor Day, Wants Homeschoolers to Play on Public School Sports Teams

This was an eventful day and long for education related legislation. The Students and Early Education subcommittee of the House Education Committee, which meets at 7:30 a.m., took up two bills relating to home schooling.

Delegate Rob Bell's HB 947 prohibits public schools from joining the Virginia High School, which does not allow participation of home schooled in sports, and allows home schooled students to participate in public school sports programs. The vote was as follows:

YEAS--Bell, Richard P., Landes, Stolle, Robinson, Yost, Morrissey--6.

NAYS--Alexander, Keam--2.

In the Senate Education and Health Committee, efforts to repeal the "King's Dominion Act" (SB 257)and grant local school boards control of the school calendar failed despite the Governor's support of the legislation. The vote was as follows (The motion was to pass by indefinitely, so a yes vote was a vote against the bill):

At the 5 p.m. meeting of the Teachers and Administrative Action Subcommittee of the House Education Committee, Delegate Bob Tata’s HB 1063, which repeals the “King’s Dominion Act” and grants local school boards control of the school calendar reported on the following 7-1 vote”

YEAS – LeMunyon, Robinson, Yost, McClellan, Morrissey, Keam –7

NAYS – Cole – 1

So, the school calendar bill is dead in the Senate, but alive in the House. Please call your delegate urging support of HB 1063. It should be in full committee on Monday and, we hope, heading to the floor after that.